Photographic camera



Oct. 3.1, i939. L LEITZ ET AL 2,178,344

PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA Filed Jan. .22, 1938 ige! I /25 lr/302 g d 5 Y vPatented oct 31, 1939 PATENT OFFICE PHOTQGBAPBIC CAMERA Ludwig Leitz andWilhelm Albert, Wetzlar, Germany, assignors to Ernst Leitz, G. m. b. H.,

Wetzlar, Germany Application January z2, 193s, serial Nq. .186312K InGermany February 6, 1937l z claims. I(c1. sas- 44) This inventionrelates to improvements inphotographic cameras which include a built inbasis distance meter and a built in view nder, the basis distance meterbeingl coupled to the objective for direct operation when the objectiveis being focused. The view finder is of the direct view type the opticalaxis of which coincides with the optical axis of the ocular of the basisdistance disclosed for instance in the U. S. Patent No.'

2,093,299 dated September -14, 1937.

Photographic cameras including a basis distancev meter and a view nderof the general type referred to suil'er from the disadvantage that whenthe basis distance meter is operated the optical axis of the view finderis not adjusted to compensate for parallax. In other types vof camerasthe arrangement is such that the basis distance meter in order to4compensate for parallax is displaced in its relation to other parts orthe optical elements of the basis distance meter are displaced.

The object of this invention is to provide a combined 'basis distancemeter and view nder system embodying novel features whereby thedisadvantages referred to are eliminated. This may be done by aconstruction in which the view finder ,o isswingably mounted withrelation to 'the basis distance meter and directly operated by thelatter to compensate for parallax. In the accompanying drawingillustrating the invention Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a cameraembodying the invention with parts broken away to showl prism mirrorwhich is provided with a semi-transparent reecting surfacey 5constitutes the basis of the basis distance mete. Th'e prism l iscarried by the lever 8 which is pivoted at I6. The lever 8 50 isoscillated in a known manner upon its pivot I6 by another lever 6 whichis pivoted at 1. The lever 6 in turn is' actuated by contact with theinner end I1 of the objective mount.

The view finder includes a rear transparent glass 55 member I8 providedwith a rectangular nontransparent frame- I4, and a front transparentVglass body 2Ilprovided with a concave mirrored rectangular frame 2|which surrounds and frames the field of view opening 22. 'I'he view nderis mounted in a suitable housing 23 which is pivoted 5 on a fixed axisat I3 to a finder arm II which engages one end of a two armed lever 9pivoted at III. The other end of the lever 9 engages the aforesaid lever6. A spring I2 keeps the two levers II and 9 in constant engagement andlike- 10 wise keeps the lever 9 in engagement with'the 'lever 6 as willbe understood. Asis clear from the drawing, the optical axis of the viewnder indicated by the line 25 is coincidental with the direct view line26 of the basis distance meter. l5

lWhen the `objective is focused, the movable prism 4 is operated by therange finder levers 6 and 8 to project the incoming image intocoincidence with the image which is seen through the prism mirror 5.`Simultaneously therewith the view ilnderis oscillated on the axis I3 bymeans of the levers 9 and I I into theposition shown in Fig. 3 in whichthe optical axis 26 of the view finder is inclinedl towards the opticalaxis 30 of the objective whereby tocompensate for parallax between viewfinder and objective. rThe levers are not shown in Fig. 3. Weclaim: v 1.In a photographic camera` having an objective, a combined basis distancemeter and a pivotally supported photographic view finder of thedirect-view type, a wholly transparent glass body in front of said viewfinder provided with a centrally disposed semi-transparent surface for`reecting the image oi the basis distance meter into V the optical axisof the view inder incoincidence with the field of view oi' the latter,means interposed between the said pivotally mounted view finder and thesaid basis distance meter and actuated by the latter wh h the objectiveis focused for 40 moying the view der on its pivoted support to inclineits optical axis towards vthe objective to compensate' for parallax,said. camera having separate light admitting openings for the said viewfinder and the said basis distance meter and an eye opening common tosaid finder and distance meter.

2.. In a photographic cameral havin" an objec-v tive, a combined basisdistance meter and a pivotally supported photographic view nder, of thedirect-view type, a wholly transparent glass body r in front of saidview finder provided with a centrally disposed semitransparent surfacefor reflecting the image of the basis distance meter into the opticalaxis of the view nder in coincidence the latter is focused whereby'm'cnpehsafe for parallax, said camera having separate iight admittingopenings for the said view nder and the said basis distance meter and aneye opening common to said iinder and distance meter.

LUDWIG LEITZ( WILHELM ALBERT.

